Wayne State radio student Travis Boock won an award for Best PSA at a media conference in New York City on March 8th.
The PSA in question was about the dangers of driving while high, an issue that Boock felt needed to be addressed. Boock explained the presence of smoke shops in Wayne, and how college students with bad habits may be tempted to drive under the influence.
“This award was really cool because I put a lot of work into radio for like 2 1/2 years here. It’s nice to see it get recognized,” Boock said. The conference where Boock received the Best PSA award is the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Sytem media conference in New York City. Many colleges from around the country attend the conference, and professionals get to share helpful career information to students. The conference also helps students meet students from other schools and see other people’s work from all across the country. The conference helps students make connections and get feedback for their work.
Sean Ahern, a media and radio professor here at WSC was asked about how he felt with a student earning such an award.
“Awesome. It shows the capabilities of Wayne State students,” Ahern said. Ahern also mentioned how it was cool to see a smaller college like Wayne State get an award at a conference and to be recognized by other schools. Ahern is a media professor on campus and works with students like Boock in courses and workshops. Ahern has worked with Boock in an audio production workshop last semester.
Boock is currently a junior. He is majoring in electronic media, with a double minor in digital film production and theory & media promotions.
“I feel like that’s one of my strong suits when it comes to the media side of things; finding a way to a good order of words and, like, the right words to use, and presenting it in a way that catches people’s attention,” Boock said. Boock has made PSAs for the radio before, but this was his first time winning an award for one.
